WO2012053082A1

WO2012053082A1 - Side airbag device for rear seat

Info

Publication number: WO2012053082A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/068523
Authority: WO
Inventors: 岳久社本; 修深渡瀬
Original assignee: トヨタ自動車株式会社
Priority date: 2010-10-20
Filing date: 2010-10-20
Publication date: 2012-04-26
Also published as: US8651518B2; CN103167973A; EP2631126A4; JPWO2012053082A1; CN103167973B; EP2631126A1; US20130200599A1; JP5510555B2; EP2631126B1

Abstract

[Problem] To enable a side airbag to smoothly expand in a side collision and, in addition, to prevent or minimize damage on the airbag caused by an edge of a module case. [Solution] A recess (36) is formed in a seat frame (28) consisting of a resin, and an airbag module (38) is housed within the recess (36). The airbag module (38) is provided with a substantially box-shaped module case (40). An upper gap (80) is formed between an upper wall section (40D) and the upper end (42A) of a side airbag (42). A lower gap (82) is formed between a lower wall section (40E) and the lower end (42B) of the side airbag (42). The height (H1) of the upper wall section (40D) is set to be less than the height (H2) of the upper wall section (36D) of the recess (36). As a result of the configuration, particularly the upper end (42A) of the side airbag (42) is less likely to come into contact with the upper wall section (40D) of the module case (40).

Description

Side airbag device for rear seats

The present invention relates to a rear seat side airbag device.

In the rear seat side airbag device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, an airbag module is disposed in a deck side trim provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the seatback of the rear seat. A tier portion is set in the deck side trim, and when the inflation pressure of the side airbag reaches a predetermined value, the tier portion is broken and the side airbag is deployed to the front side of the vehicle.
JP 2010-120407 A

Here, in the case of the above prior art, a large space exists on the vehicle rear side of the rear seat side airbag device. For this reason, it is necessary to stabilize the deployment behavior of the side airbag when the side airbag is deployed, and to restrict the deployment direction of the side airbag to the vehicle front side. Therefore, at present, the folded side airbag is housed in a metal module case.

However, in recent years, the required performance for the rear seat side airbag device has increased, and it has become necessary to cover a wide area including the waist of the seated occupant with the side airbag. However, in a configuration in which a large side airbag is folded and stored in a metal module case, the wall of the module case may interfere with the side airbag to be deployed, making it difficult for the side airbag to be smoothly deployed. There is sex. In particular, considering that the side airbag tends to increase in size in the vertical direction of the vehicle, the side airbag seems to easily interfere with the upper wall portion of the module case during deployment. Furthermore, when a metal module case is employed, the upper end surface side of the side airbag may come into contact with the edge of the module case and be damaged.

In consideration of the above-described facts, the present invention can smoothly deploy the side airbag at the time of a side collision, and can prevent or suppress the side airbag from being damaged at the edge of the module case. The object is to obtain a bag device.

The rear seat side airbag device according to the first aspect is formed in a resin seat frame disposed inside the side support portion of the seat back of the rear seat, and a recess having a seat back front side opened, It is formed in a box shape, and the front wall is disposed on the inner side of the upper portion of the inner wall of the recess and the lower wall portion is disposed on the inner side of the lower portion of the inner wall of the recess so that the front side of the seat back is the open side. A metal module case housed in the recess, an inflator that is housed in the module case and generates gas by operating, and is housed in the module case in a folded state and the gas is A side airbag that is deployed to the front side of the seat back by flowing in, and an upper end of an upper wall portion and an upper end of the lower wall portion of the module case The upper and lower wall portions of the module case are erected at positions spaced from the upper and lower ends of the folded side airbag so as to be separated from the surface of the side airbag in the deployed state. ing.

According to the first aspect, the resin seat frame is arranged inside the side support portion of the seat back of the rear seat. The seat frame is formed with a recess having an open front side of the seat back, and a module case formed in a box shape is accommodated in the recess.

¡When a side collision occurs, the inflator housed in the module case is activated and gas is generated. This gas flows into the side airbag accommodated in a folded state in the module case. For this reason, the side airbag is inflated, and the side airbag is inflated and deployed toward the seat back front side of the side support portion. As a result, the side airbag is inflated and deployed between the side of the upper body of the seated occupant and the side of the vehicle body such as the side door.

Here, for example, when both the waist and the chest are protected by a single side airbag, the side airbag increases in the seat back height direction. When such a large side airbag is used, when the side airbag is inflated and deployed, the surface of the side airbag comes into contact with the upper end of the upper wall portion and the upper end of the lower wall portion of the module case. It is conceivable that the deployment of the air bag is hindered or the surface of the side airbag is damaged.

However, according to this aspect, the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of the module case are arranged so that the upper ends of the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion of the module case are separated from the surface of the deployed side airbag. The side airbag in the folded state is arranged at a position separated from the upper and lower ends of the side airbag. That is, between the upper end of the upper wall portion of the module case and the upper end of the folded side airbag, and between the upper end of the lower wall portion of the module case and the lower end of the folded side airbag. A sufficient gap is formed respectively. For this reason, possibility that a side airbag will contact the upper end of the upper wall part of a module case and the upper end of a lower wall part will be reduced significantly.

The rear seat side airbag device according to the second aspect is that, in the first aspect, the height of the upper wall portion of the module case is set lower than the height of the upper portion of the inner wall of the recess. It is a feature.

According to the second aspect, until the side airbag is completely deployed, the side airbag may swing in the seat back height direction, and the deployment behavior may become unstable. In such a case, even if the upper end of the upper wall portion of the module case is separated from the surface of the deployed side airbag, the side airbag wraps around the upper end of the upper wall portion. There is.

However, in this aspect, since the height of the upper wall portion of the module case is lower than the height of the upper portion of the inner wall of the concave portion, the upper end side of the side airbag is the upper portion of the inner wall of the concave portion provided in the seat frame made of resin. First touch the top of the. Therefore, the side airbag does not come into strong contact with the upper end of the upper wall portion of the module case.

The rear seat side airbag device according to the third aspect is that, in the first aspect, the height of the lower wall portion of the module case is set lower than the height of the lower portion of the inner wall of the recess. It is a feature.

According to the third aspect, until the side airbag is completely deployed, the side airbag may swing in the seat back height direction, and the deployment behavior may become unstable. In such a case, even if the upper end of the lower wall portion of the module case is separated from the surface of the deployed side airbag, the side airbag may go outside the upper end of the lower wall portion. There is.

However, in this aspect, since the height of the lower wall portion of the module case is lower than the height of the lower portion of the inner wall of the concave portion, the lower end side of the side airbag is the lower portion of the inner wall of the concave portion provided in the seat frame made of resin. First touch the top of the. Therefore, the side airbag does not come into strong contact with the upper end of the lower wall portion of the module case.

The rear seat side airbag device according to a fourth aspect is the aspect according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the upper end portion and the lower wall portion of the upper wall portion of the module case are arranged. At least one of the upper end portions is bent outward from the module case.

According to the fourth aspect, since at least one of the upper end portion of the upper wall portion and the upper end portion of the lower wall portion of the module case is bent to the outside of the module case, the upper end of the side airbag is bent. It becomes very difficult to contact the part.

In the rear seat side airbag device according to the fifth aspect, in the aspect according to any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, the upper end portion and the lower wall portion of the upper wall portion of the module case At least one of the upper end portions is folded back to the outside of the module case.

According to the fifth aspect, since at least one of the upper end portion of the upper wall portion and the upper end portion of the lower wall portion of the module case is folded back to the outside of the module case, the terminal on which the side airbag is folded back It becomes very difficult to contact.

A rear seat side airbag device according to a sixth aspect is the aspect according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the lower wall part of the module case and the lower part of the inner wall of the recess At least one of the lower gap formed between and the upper gap formed between the upper wall portion of the module case and the upper portion of the inner wall of the concave portion, a convex portion formed on the seat back pad is inserted, It is characterized by that.

According to the sixth aspect, the lower gap formed between the lower wall portion of the module case and the inner wall lower portion of the recess, and the upper gap formed between the upper wall portion of the module case and the inner wall upper portion of the recess. At least one of the protrusions formed on the seat back pad is inserted. For this reason, when the side support part is pressed from the indoor design surface side, the design surface becomes difficult to be inadvertently recessed.

As explained above, the side airbag device for the rear seat according to the first aspect can smoothly deploy the side airbag at the time of a side collision, and the side airbag is damaged at the edge of the module case. It has an excellent effect that it can be prevented or suppressed.

The rear seat side airbag device according to the second aspect has an excellent effect of being able to more effectively prevent or suppress damage to the surface of the side airbag at the upper end side.

The rear-seat side airbag device according to the third aspect has an excellent effect of being able to more effectively prevent or suppress damage to the surface on the lower end side of the side airbag.

The rear seat side airbag device according to the fourth aspect has an excellent effect that the surface of the side airbag can be more effectively prevented or suppressed.

The rear-seat side airbag device according to the fifth aspect has an excellent effect that damage to the surface of the side airbag can be prevented or suppressed as compared with the case of the fourth aspect.

The rear seat side airbag device according to the sixth aspect has an excellent effect that the design of the side support portion of the rear seat can be well maintained.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rear seat comprised by applying the rear seat side airbag apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan cross-sectional view of a rear seat side airbag device showing an enlarged cut surface along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the whole rear seat structure shown by FIG. It is a perspective view of the seat frame which comprises the side seat part of the rear seat back shown by FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan cross-sectional view of a rear seat side airbag device showing a cut surface along line 5-5 in FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan sectional view of the rear seat side airbag device showing a cut surface along line 6-6 in FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion taken along line 7 of FIG. 1 showing an enlarged upper side of the module case shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a rear seat side airbag device corresponding to FIG. 7 showing a modification in which a terminal portion of an upper wall portion of the module case is bent outward. It is the elements on larger scale which show the modification which made the lower wall part of a module case stand at an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom wall part.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a side airbag device for a rear seat according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, an arrow FR appropriately shown indicates the vehicle front side, an arrow UP indicates the vehicle upper side, and an arrow IN indicates the vehicle width direction inner side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a rear seat 12 to which the rear seat side airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment is applied includes a rear seat cushion 14 that supports an occupant's buttocks and thighs, and an occupant's waist. And a rear seat back 16 for supporting the back portion. Depending on the vehicle model, a headrest is provided at the upper end of the rear seatback 16.

Under the lower end of the rear seat back 16, a child seat fixing member 18 compatible with ISOFix (a standard in which the International Organization for Standardization unifies the size and mounting method of the fixing device) is disposed. The child seat fixing member 18 is formed of a high-strength and high-rigidity pipe material, and is arranged with its longitudinal direction aligned with the vehicle width direction. Attachment brackets 20 for attaching the child seat fixing member 18 to the rear floor 21 (see FIG. 1) are fixed to the both ends in the longitudinal direction and the middle portion of the child seat fixing member 18 by welding or the like. Furthermore, a plurality of strikers 22 corresponding to the ISOFix method are fixed to the child seat fixing member 18 in advance by welding or the like.

On the other hand, the above-described rear seat back 16 is a split-foldable rear seat back, and a pair of left and right main body portions 24 that can be tilted with respect to the rear floor 21 and the vehicle body width direction outer side with respect to these main body portions 24 ( And a pair of left and right side support portions 26 arranged on the door side of the vehicle.

The pair of left and right body portions 24 are each provided with a metal seat frame (not shown). The lower end portion of each seat frame is connected to the upper end portion of the mounting bracket 20 so as to be rotatable around an axis along the vehicle width direction. Thereby, the rear seat back 16 can be tilted to the rear seat cushion 14 side. During normal operation, the main body 24 and the back panel 31 (see FIG. 1), which is a vehicle body side component, can be detached by a lock mechanism (not shown) disposed on the back side of each side of each main body 24. It is connected.

On the other hand, the pair of left and right side support portions 26 are each provided with a resin seat frame 28. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 to 6, the plane cross-sectional shape of the seat frame 28 is substantially U-shaped (see FIG. 2) with the vehicle rear side open. The seat frame 28 includes a front wall portion 28A serving as a support surface of the pad 30 described later, and a pair of left and right

side wall portions

28B and 28C extending from both ends of the front wall portion 28A in the vehicle width direction to the vehicle rear side. And a top wall portion 28D (see FIG. 4) that extends from the upper end portion of the front wall portion 28A to the vehicle rear side and connects the pair of left and right

side wall portions

28B and 28C in the vehicle width direction. Yes. The front wall portion 28A has a convex curved shape that swells toward the front side of the vehicle, and is formed in a hem-spread shape in which the lower portion is slightly wider than the upper portion.

A claw portion 27 formed like a bowl in a side view is erected on the rear side of the vehicle on the upper surface of the back surface of the front wall portion 28A. Further, an attachment portion 29 formed in a substantially L shape in a side view is erected on the lower side of the back surface of the front wall portion 28A toward the vehicle rear side. In the seat frame 28, the claw portion 27 provided on the upper side is hooked on the back panel 31 that is the vehicle body side component member, and the attachment portion 29 provided on the lower end side is fastened and fixed to the back panel 31. It is fixed to the car body.

Also, a pad 30 made of a foamed material such as urethane foam is attached to the front side of the seat frame 28 in the vehicle. The flat cross-sectional shape of the pad 30 is formed in a convex curved shape that matches the convex curved shape of the front wall portion 28 A of the seat frame 28. Further, a thin portion 33 (see FIG. 2) having a reduced thickness along the vehicle front-rear direction is formed at a position near the center of the pad 30 in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the surface of the pad 30 described above is covered with a skin 32. The epidermis 32 is partially divided into left and right at the formation position of the thin portion 33 (see FIG. 2) in the pad 30 described above. The terminal portions of the divided skin 32 are sewn so as to be broken when a bag inflation pressure of a predetermined value or more acts. Hereinafter, this portion is referred to as a “stitched portion 34”. That is, the stitched portion 34 becomes a burst line when the rear seat side airbag device 10 is activated. Note that the end portion of the skin 32 adjacent to the main body portion 24 is locked to a U-shaped locking portion 35 formed at the rear end portion of the side wall portion 28 C of the seat frame 28.

A recess (airbag module mounting portion) 36 that is recessed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape toward the rear of the vehicle is formed at a substantially central portion of the front wall portion 28A of the seat frame 28 described above. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6, the recess 36 includes a rectangular flat bottom wall portion 36 A that extends along the vehicle width direction and the vehicle vertical direction (the seat back height direction). A pair of left and

right side walls

36B and 36C that rise substantially parallel to the vehicle front side from the left and right side edges of the bottom wall portion 36A, and an upper wall that rises substantially parallel to the vehicle front side from the upper and lower edges of the bottom wall portion 36A It is comprised by the part 36D and the lower wall part 36E. The upper wall portion 36D corresponds to “an upper portion of the inner wall of the recess” in the present invention, and the lower wall portion 36E corresponds to “the lower portion of the inner wall of the recess” in the present invention.

In the recess 36, an airbag module 38 constituting the main part of the rear seat side airbag device 10 is attached. The airbag module 38 includes a metal module case 40 fitted in the recess 36, a side airbag 42 (only a part of which is shown in FIG. 7) stored in a folded state in the module case 40, and a side collision. A cylindrical inflator 44 that is a gas generating means for generating gas sometimes in the side airbag 42 and a diffuser 46 that is a rectifying means for surrounding the inflator 44 are provided.

The module case 40 is formed in a vertically long and substantially box-like shape with an opening on the front side of the vehicle, and includes a bottom wall portion 40A, a pair of left and right

side wall portions

40B and 40C, an upper wall portion 40D, a lower wall portion 40E, It is constituted by.

The side airbag 42 is folded by a predetermined folding method (in the present embodiment, bellows folding) and is covered with a wrap material 48 to hold the shape. The wrap material 48 is easily broken when the side airbag 42 is inflated and deployed. In general, there are two types of airbag folding methods: roll folding and bellows folding. You may fold in combination.

On the other hand, the inflator 44 and the diffuser 46 are disposed inside the folded side airbag 42. As shown in FIG. 1, the inflator 44 is arranged with the vertical direction (seat back height direction) of the side support portion 26 as a longitudinal direction, and a plurality of gas jets are ejected at one longitudinal end portion (here, the lower end portion). A hole is formed. In addition, a squib and an igniter that are ignition devices are disposed at the other end portion (here, the upper end portion) of the inflator 44 in the longitudinal direction. The squib is electrically connected with an airbag ECU installed below the console box, etc., and a side collision sensor disposed on the side of the vehicle body is electrically connected to the airbag ECU. Yes. When the side collision sensor detects a side collision state of the vehicle, it outputs a detection signal to the airbag ECU. In the air bag ECU, it is determined whether or not the side air bag 42 is to be operated. When it is determined that the side air bag is in operation, a predetermined current is supplied to the squib and the igniter is ignited. Thereby, gas is ejected from a plurality of gas ejection holes provided in the inflator 44. Instead of the gas generating agent-filled inflator 44, a high-pressure gas-filled inflator can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inflator 44 described above is covered with a diffuser 46 that functions as a rectifying means, and is fixed to the diffuser 46 at a location not shown. The diffuser 46 rectifies the gas ejected from the inflator 44 and then supplies the gas into the side airbag 42.

The diffuser 46 is provided with a pair of upper and lower stud bolts 50 and 52 (see FIG. 1). The upper stud bolt 50 penetrates the side airbag 42, the bottom wall portion 40A of the module case 40, and the bottom wall portion 36A of the recess 36, and is a metal bracket reinforcement (reinforcement) superimposed on the rear surface of the bottom wall 40A. Plate) 54, and a baffle bracket 56 superimposed on the rear surface of the bracket reinforcement 54, and the front end side is screwed into the nut 58. Thereby, the upper side of the diffuser 46 is fastened and fixed to the seat frame 28 together with the module case 40, the bracket reinforcement 54, and the baffle bracket 56, and the side airbag is interposed between the diffuser 46 and the bottom wall portion 40 A of the module case 40. 42 is clamped. The airbag module 38 is fastened and fixed to the seat frame 28 in a height region where the inflator 44 is disposed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket reinforcement 54 is formed in an elongated shape along the vertical direction of the side support portion 26, and a frame reinforcing portion 54 A that is linear in a side view, and the frame reinforcing portion 54 A. Bracket portion 54B (extending portion) extending downward. The frame reinforcing portion 54A is disposed over substantially the entire area excluding the lower end portion of the bottom wall portion 36A of the recess 36. The frame reinforcing portion 54A has an L-shaped cross section at the upper side and the middle in the vertical direction, and includes a flange-like portion 54C that extends from the outer end in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle front side. ing. The flange-like portion 54C improves the bending rigidity of the frame reinforcing portion 54A, and the bottom wall portion 36A of the recess 36 is reinforced by the frame reinforcing portion 54A.

The baffle bracket 56 is formed by bending a metal plate material into an L shape. The base of the baffle bracket 56 is overlapped with the frame reinforcing portion 54A and fastened and fixed to the seat frame 28. The front end side of the baffle bracket 56 extends toward the vehicle front side on the vehicle width direction outer side of the recess 36. An insertion hole through which one end of the upper webbing 60 formed in a band shape is inserted is formed on the tip side of the webbing bracket 56. The upper force cloth 60 is formed from a cloth that is harder to extend than the skin 32, and the portions before and after insertion into the insertion hole are overlapped and stitched together. As a result, one end side of the upper webbing 60 is locked to the webbing bracket 56 and is connected (locked) to the frame reinforcing portion 54 A and the seat frame 28 via the webbing bracket 56. The other end of the upper webbing 60 is inserted into an opening 61 (see FIG. 4) formed in the seat frame 28 and is sewn together with a stitching portion 34 provided on the skin 32. For this reason, when the side airbag 42 is inflated and deployed, the upper force cloth 60 is expanded by the inflation pressure of the side airbag 42. As a result, the inflation pressure of the side airbag 42 concentrates on the portion where the other end side of the upper webbing 60 is stitched in the stitching portion 34, and the stitching portion 34 is broken from the portion.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower stud bolt 52 provided in the diffuser 46 passes through the side airbag 42 and the bottom wall portion 40 A of the module case 40, and the front end side is screwed into the nut 62. is doing. Accordingly, the lower side of the diffuser 46 is fastened and fixed to the module case 40, and the side airbag 42 is sandwiched between the diffuser 46 and the bottom wall portion 40 A of the module case 40. A through hole having a diameter larger than that of the nut 62 is formed in the bottom wall portion 36A and the frame reinforcing portion 54A of the recess 36, and the nut 62 and the stud bolt 52 are connected to the bottom wall portion 36A and the frame reinforcing portion 54A. Are arranged in a non-contact state.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, on the lower end side of the recess 36, the bottom wall 40A of the module case 40, the bottom wall 36A of the recess 36, the frame reinforcing portion 54A, and the

baffle brackets

66 and 68 are penetrated. A nut 72 is screwed onto the tip end side of the bolt 70. Thereby, the module case 40 is fastened and fixed to the seat frame 28 together with the upper end portion of the frame reinforcing portion 54A and the

baffle brackets

66 and 68. The lower part side of the frame reinforcing portion 54A is formed in an open cross-sectional shape (substantially U-shaped in cross section) opened on the front side of the vehicle, and the rigidity of the frame reinforcing portion 54A with respect to the load in the vehicle front-rear direction is improved.

The above-mentioned

baffle brackets

66 and 68 are formed by bending a metal plate material into an L shape, and the base end side of the baffle bracket 66 is superimposed on the frame reinforcing portion 54A. Both are fastened and fixed to the frame reinforcing portion 54 A and the seat frame 28 in a state where the base end side of the force-applying bracket 68 is superimposed on the base end side of the force-applying bracket 66.

The front end side of the baffle bracket 66 extends to the vehicle front side at the vehicle width direction outer side of the recess 36, and the front end side of the baffle bracket 68 extends to the vehicle front side at the vehicle width direction inner side of the recess 36. Has been issued. Insertion holes 66 A and 68 A through which one end sides of

lower webbings

74 and 76 formed in a band shape are inserted are formed on the front end sides of these

webbing brackets

66 and 68. The

lower force cloths

74 and 76 are formed from cloths that are harder to extend than the skin 32, and the portions before and after insertion into the

insertion holes

66A and 68A are overlapped and stitched together. As a result, one end of the

lower webbing

74, 76 is locked to the

webbing brackets

66, 68, and is connected (locked) to the frame reinforcing portion 54A and the seat frame 28 via the webbing brackets 66, 68. ) The other end of the lower force cloth 74 is inserted into an opening 75 formed in the seat frame 28 and is sewn together with a stitching portion 34 provided on the skin 32. Further, the other end side of the lower webbing 76 extends between the pad 30 and the skin 32 to the stitching portion 34 side and is sewn together with the stitching portion 34. For this reason, when the side airbag 42 is inflated and deployed, the

lower force cloths

74 and 76 are expanded by the inflation pressure of the side airbag 42. As a result, the inflation pressure of the side airbag 42 concentrates on the portion where the other end sides of the

lower force cloths

74 and 76 in the stitching portion 34 are stitched, and the stitching portion 34 is broken from the portion.

On the other hand, the bracket portion 54B described above is integrally extended from the lower end of the frame reinforcing portion 54A toward the obliquely lower side on the vehicle rear side. The bracket portion 54B is formed in an open cross-sectional shape (substantially U-shaped in cross section) that is open on the vehicle front side, like the lower side of the frame reinforcing portion 54A. The bracket portion 54B and the frame reinforcing portion 54A may be formed separately and joined by welding or the like.

In addition, the bracket portion 54B has an upper side bent toward the vehicle front side with respect to the lower side, and a lower end portion on the vehicle front side with respect to the longitudinal end portion (vehicle width direction outer end portion) of the child seat fixing member 18. Is arranged. Fastening brackets 78 formed in an open cross-sectional shape (substantially U-shaped in cross section) opened on the rear side of the vehicle are fixed to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the pipe member constituting the child seat fixing member 18 by welding or the like. A weld nut (not shown) is fixed to the fastening metal 78, and the lower end of the bracket portion 54B is fastened and fixed to the fastening metal 78 by a bolt 79 screwed to the weld nut. Thereby, the lower end portion of the airbag module 38 is fastened and fixed to the child seat fixing member 18 via the bracket reinforcement 54.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 to 6, in the rear seat side airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment, the airbag module 38 is mounted on the resin seat frame 28 as described above. A substantially box-shaped concave portion 36 is formed for housing a metal module case 40 having a similar shape. Referring to the relationship between the upper wall portion 40D and the lower wall portion 40E of the module case 40 and the side airbag 42 in the folded state, the upper wall portion 40D and the lower wall portion 40E have an upper end 42A and a lower end of the side airbag 42, respectively. It is erected from the bottom wall portion 40A at a position spaced from 42B in the seat back height direction. That is, an upper gap 80 is formed between the upper wall portion 40D and the upper end 42A of the side airbag 42, and a lower gap 82 is formed between the lower wall portion 40E and the lower end 42B of the side airbag 42. Is formed. The separation distance L1 from the upper end 42A of the side airbag 42 of the upper wall portion 40D and the separation distance L2 from the lower end 42B of the side airbag 42 of the lower wall portion 40E are in the deployed state (gas is supplied into the side airbag 42). 1 indicates a state in which the air bag is completely inflated and deployed as shown in FIG. 1) at a distance away from the surface of the side airbag 42, that is, on the upper wall 42 A and the lower wall 42 B of the side airbag 42. The distance is set such that the portion 40D and the lower wall portion 40E do not contact each other.

Further, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 7, the height H1 of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 from the bottom wall portion 40A is equal to the height H2 of the upper wall portion 36D of the recess 36 from the bottom wall portion 36A. Is set lower. In the present embodiment, the height of the lower wall portion 40E in the module case 40 is set to be substantially the same as the height of the lower wall portion 36E of the recess 36 (see FIG. 1), but similarly to the upper wall portion 40D. It may be set low. Furthermore, the height of all the peripheral wall portions of the module case 40 (the upper wall portion 40D, the lower wall portion 40E, and the pair of left and right

side wall portions

40B, 40C) may be set lower than the height of the inner wall portion of the recess 36. Supplementally, the height H1 of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 is set lower than the height H2 of the upper wall portion 36D of the recess 36, but the height of the upper wall portion 40D (and the lower wall portion 40E) is reduced. It's not as good as you can do it. If the height of the upper wall portion 40D and the lower wall portion 40E is set to zero (the upper wall portion 40D and the lower wall portion 40E are eliminated), there is no member that restricts the opening of the left and right

side wall portions

40B and 40C. When the bag 42 is deployed, the side airbag 42 is excessively expanded in the vehicle width direction, and the deployment performance is degraded.

Furthermore, the upper wall part 40D and the pair of left and right

side wall parts

40B, 40C in the module case 40 are folded back by hemming. Hereinafter, this folded portion is referred to as a “folded portion 84”. In the present embodiment, the terminal portions of all the peripheral wall portions (the upper wall portion 40D and the left and right

side wall portions

40B, 40C) except the lower wall portion 40E in the module case 40 are folded back by hemming, but this is not limitative. Instead, the folded portion 84 may be provided by folding at least the terminal portion of the upper wall portion 40D.

Also, a block-like (substantially rectangular parallelepiped) convex portion 86 provided at the lower end portion of the pad 30 is inserted into the lower gap 82 provided in the module case 40 described above. The convex portion 86 is integrally formed from the lower end portion of the pad 30 toward the vehicle rear side, and is inserted to the vicinity of the bottom wall portion 40A of the module case 40 along the lower end 42B of the folded side airbag 42. Has been. In the present embodiment, the upper gap 80 is not configured to insert the convex portion 86, but a convex portion having the same shape as the convex portion 86 is formed on the upper end portion side of the pad 30, and the upper gap 80 is formed in the upper gap 80. You may take the structure to insert.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.
In the rear seat side airbag device 10 according to the present embodiment, when the vehicle has a side collision, a side collision state is detected by a side collision sensor (not shown) disposed on the side of the vehicle body such as a center pillar or a rear pillar. Then, a detection signal is output from the side collision sensor to the airbag ECU, and the airbag ECU determines that the operation of the rear seat side airbag device 10 is performed. For this reason, the inflator 44 is operated by the airbag ECU. That is, a predetermined current is applied to the squib of the inflator 44. As a result, a large amount of gas is generated from the inflator 44 and the side airbag 42 stored in a folded state in the module case 40 is inflated. The inflation pressure of the side airbag 42 acts on the stitching portion 34 of the skin 32 of the side support portion 26 via the upper force cloth 60 and the

lower force cloths

74 and 76, and the stitching portion 34 that defines the burst line is broken. . As a result, an opening is formed on the front side of the side support portion 26, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side airbag 42 passes through the opening and includes the upper body including the waist and chest of the occupant and the door trim of the rear side door. And inflated between the two. Thus, the occupant is protected from an impact at the time of a side collision by the side airbag 42.

Here, when both the waist and chest of a seated occupant are protected by a single side airbag 42 as in the present embodiment, the side airbag 42 increases in size in the seat back height direction. When such a large side airbag 42 is used, when the side airbag 42 is inflated and deployed, the surface of the side airbag 42 is connected to the upper end of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 and the upper end of the lower wall portion 40E. The contact may impede the deployment of the side airbag, or the surface of the side airbag may be damaged.

However, according to the present embodiment, the upper end of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 and the upper end of the lower wall portion 24E are the side airbags 42 in the deployed shape (the side airbag 42 in the illustrated state of FIGS. 1 and 7). The upper wall portion 40D and the lower wall portion 40E of the module case 40 are arranged at positions separated from the upper end 42A and the lower end 42B of the folded side airbag 42 so as to be separated from the surface. In other words, a sufficient gap of the upper gap 80 is formed between the upper end of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 and the upper end 42A of the folded side airbag 42. Further, a sufficient gap called a lower gap 82 is formed between the upper end of the lower wall portion 40E of the module case 40 and the lower end 42B of the folded side airbag 42. For this reason, the possibility that the side airbag 42 contacts the upper end of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 and the upper end of the lower wall portion 40E during deployment is significantly reduced.

As a result, according to the side airbag device 10 for the rear seat according to the present embodiment, the side airbag 42 can be smoothly deployed at the time of a side collision, and the side airbag 42 is connected to the module case 40 (upper wall portion). Damage at the edges (such as 40D) can be prevented or suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the height H1 of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 is set to be lower than the height H2 of the upper wall portion 36D of the recess 36. Therefore, when the side airbag 42 is inflated and deployed. Even if the posture becomes unstable, the surface of the side airbag 42 can be prevented or suppressed from being damaged. That is, until the deployment of the side airbag 42 is completed, the side airbag 42 may swing in the seat back height direction, and the deployment behavior may become unstable. In such a case, even if the upper end of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 is spaced apart from the surface of the deployed side airbag 42, the side airbag 42 is located at the upper end of the upper wall portion 40D. There is a case where it goes around outside (a gap with the upper wall portion 36D of the recess 36).

However, by adopting the above configuration, the height H1 of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 is lower than the height H2 of the upper wall portion 36D of the concave portion 36, so that the upper end 42A side of the side airbag 42 is made of resin. The upper end of the upper wall portion 36D of the recess 36 provided in the seat frame 28 made of the product comes into contact first. Therefore, the side airbag 42 does not come into strong contact with the upper end of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40. As a result, according to the present embodiment, the surface of the side airbag 42 on the upper end 42A side can be more effectively prevented or suppressed.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the terminal portion of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 is folded back to the outside of the module case 40 and the folded portion 84 is provided, the upper end 42A of the side airbag 42 is connected to the upper wall of the module case 40. It becomes very difficult to contact the terminal portion of the portion 40D (the tip of the folded portion 84). Therefore, the damage of the surface of the side airbag 42 can be further prevented or suppressed as compared with the case where the terminal portion of the upper wall portion of the module case is not folded back.

In the present embodiment, the upper gap 80 is formed on the upper wall portion 40D side of the module case 40, and the lower gap 82 is formed on the lower wall portion 40E side. Since the integrally formed convex portion 86 is inserted into the lower end portion, when the side support portion 26 is pressed from the indoor design surface side, the design surface becomes difficult to be inadvertently recessed. As a result, according to the present embodiment, the design of the side support portion 26 of the rear seat 12 can be favorably maintained.

[Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, the terminal portion of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 is folded back to the outside of the module case 40 to provide the folded portion 84. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the bent portion 90 is provided by bending the terminal portion of the upper wall portion 40D of the module case 40 to the outside of the module case 40, for example, at right angles. Even with this configuration, the upper end 42A side of the side airbag 42 is less likely to come into contact with the end portion of the upper wall portion 40D (the end portion of the bent portion 90). Can be prevented or suppressed. On the other hand, the invention according to claims 1 to 3 includes a configuration in which the folded portion 84 and the bent portion 90 are not provided.

(2) Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the upper wall part 40D and the lower wall part 40E of the module case 40 have stood up perpendicularly or substantially perpendicular | vertical with respect to the bottom wall part 40A, it is not restricted to this but is shown in FIG. As described above, the module case 94 may be configured such that the angle (す θ) formed by the bottom wall portion 94A and the lower wall portion 94B is set to an obtuse angle. That is, at least one of the upper wall portion 40D and the lower wall portion 40E may be inclined at a predetermined angle that is an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom wall portion 40A. In this case, the following actions and effects can be obtained. That is, the side airbag 42 accommodated in a folded state on the bottom wall portion 94 A side develops along the lower wall portion 94 B of the module case 94. For this reason, the lower end 42B side of the side airbag 42 is weakly against the terminal portion of the lower wall portion 94B when the angle θ formed by the lower wall portion 94B and the bottom wall portion 94A is an obtuse angle. Accordingly, the surface of the side airbag 42 on the lower end 42B side is not easily damaged.

Claims

A recess formed on a seat frame made of resin disposed inside the side support portion of the seat back of the rear seat, and the seat back front side being opened,
It is formed in a box shape, and the front wall is disposed on the inner side of the upper portion of the inner wall of the recess and the lower wall portion is disposed on the inner side of the lower portion of the inner wall of the recess so that the front side of the seat back is the open side. A metal module case housed in the recess,
An inflator that generates gas by being accommodated and operated in the module case;
A side airbag that is housed in the module case in a folded state and deployed to the front side of the seat back by the gas flowing in;
Have
The upper and lower wall portions of the module case are folded so that the upper end of the upper wall portion and the upper end of the lower wall portion of the module case are separated from the surface of the deployed side airbag. It is erected at a position spaced from the upper and lower ends of the side airbag,
Side airbag device for rear seats.
The height of the upper wall portion of the module case is set lower than the height of the upper portion of the inner wall of the recess,
The rear seat side airbag device according to claim 1.
The height of the lower wall part of the module case is set lower than the height of the lower part of the inner wall of the recess,
The rear seat side airbag device according to claim 1.
At least one of the upper end portion of the upper wall portion of the module case and the upper end portion of the lower wall portion is bent to the outside of the module case,
The rear seat side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rear seat side airbag device is configured as described above.
At least one of the upper end portion of the upper wall portion of the module case and the upper end portion of the lower wall portion is folded back to the outside of the module case,
The rear seat side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rear seat side airbag device is configured as described above.
At least one of the lower gap formed between the lower wall portion of the module case and the inner wall lower portion of the recess and the upper gap formed between the upper wall portion of the module case and the upper inner wall of the recess The convex part formed in the seat back pad is inserted,
The rear seat side airbag device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rear seat side airbag device is configured as described above.